A toddler has been kicked out of nursery after being accused of "transphobia", sparking outrage among parents and free speech advocates.
Department for Education data revealed the child, aged either three or four, was suspended from a state school for "abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity" during the 2022-23 academic year.
The specific school and further details of the case have not been disclosed.
However, the toddler was not alone in facing disciplinary action for such behaviour.
Further data published in the Telegraph shows 94 pupils at state primary schools were suspended or permanently excluded for transphobia and homophobia during the same academic year.
This included 10 pupils from Year 1 and three from Year 2, where children are no older than seven. The figures were first reported by the Telegraph, which revealed the staggering case of the nursery-aged child.
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, condemned the suspension as "insanity".
"Every once in a while, the extremes of gender ideology throw up a story that seems too crazy to believe, and a toddler being suspended from nursery for so-called 'transphobia' or homophobia is one such example," she said.
Joyce added that teachers should be "ashamed of themselves for projecting adult concepts and beliefs onto such young children" emphasising this was "not an isolated case".
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Across all state primary schools, the number of pupils suspended or expelled for homophobic or transphobic behaviour increased from 164 in 2021-22 to 178 in 2022-23.
Essex recorded the highest number of suspensions for this reason with 16 cases. This was followed by Birmingham with 15, Bradford with 11 and Norfolk with eight.
The data collection on these specific offences began in the 2020-21 academic year. Lord Young, director of the Free Speech Union, expressed disbelief at the situation.
"I would have thought that if your ideology is so rigid it justifies you punishing toddlers for not complying with it, that's a powerful argument for discarding it in favour of something less dogmatic," he told the Daily Mail.
He added: "It beggars belief that schools are suspending children as young as five for breaching their 'transphobia' policy."
A Department for Education spokesman told The Telegraph: "All pupils and staff should feel safe and protected at school and should never face violence or abuse.
"The Education Secretary has been clear that she expects school leaders to enforce good behaviour and we are committed to a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools.
"Our Plan for Change sets out our relentless focus on making sure every child gets the best life chances, no matter their background, including establishing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, providing access to mental health support and making attendance one of the four core priorities of our school improvement teams."
Find Out More...
Department for Education data revealed the child, aged either three or four, was suspended from a state school for "abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity" during the 2022-23 academic year.
The specific school and further details of the case have not been disclosed.
However, the toddler was not alone in facing disciplinary action for such behaviour.
Further data published in the Telegraph shows 94 pupils at state primary schools were suspended or permanently excluded for transphobia and homophobia during the same academic year.
This included 10 pupils from Year 1 and three from Year 2, where children are no older than seven. The figures were first reported by the Telegraph, which revealed the staggering case of the nursery-aged child.
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, condemned the suspension as "insanity".
"Every once in a while, the extremes of gender ideology throw up a story that seems too crazy to believe, and a toddler being suspended from nursery for so-called 'transphobia' or homophobia is one such example," she said.
Joyce added that teachers should be "ashamed of themselves for projecting adult concepts and beliefs onto such young children" emphasising this was "not an isolated case".
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Across all state primary schools, the number of pupils suspended or expelled for homophobic or transphobic behaviour increased from 164 in 2021-22 to 178 in 2022-23.
Essex recorded the highest number of suspensions for this reason with 16 cases. This was followed by Birmingham with 15, Bradford with 11 and Norfolk with eight.
The data collection on these specific offences began in the 2020-21 academic year. Lord Young, director of the Free Speech Union, expressed disbelief at the situation.
"I would have thought that if your ideology is so rigid it justifies you punishing toddlers for not complying with it, that's a powerful argument for discarding it in favour of something less dogmatic," he told the Daily Mail.
He added: "It beggars belief that schools are suspending children as young as five for breaching their 'transphobia' policy."
A Department for Education spokesman told The Telegraph: "All pupils and staff should feel safe and protected at school and should never face violence or abuse.
"The Education Secretary has been clear that she expects school leaders to enforce good behaviour and we are committed to a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools.
"Our Plan for Change sets out our relentless focus on making sure every child gets the best life chances, no matter their background, including establishing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, providing access to mental health support and making attendance one of the four core priorities of our school improvement teams."
Find Out More...